Redblacks heading into crucial home-and-home series with Hamilton

The Ottawa Redblacks’ pre-season goal was to simply make the playoffs. Now they have bigger aspirations.

Ottawa (10-6), which went 2-16 in its inaugural 2014 season, visits Hamilton (10-6) on Sunday to open a crucial home-and-home series between the East Division co-leaders. It will make the first meeting between the Redblacks and Tiger-Cats this year.

“It’s exciting because that’s what you play for,” Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell said Monday. “What I like is our guys aren’t content with just making the playoffs.

“We’re trying to get as good as we can and see how many games we can win and where we can take this thing. They understand the hard work it takes because everybody we play from here on in is going to be a top-flight team.”

Ottawa or Hamilton would clinch first by sweeping the home-and-home series or earning a win and tie. If the two teams split, first would be decided by aggregate points.

The second-place finisher secures home field for the East semifinal Nov. 15. But the Toronto Argonauts (9-7) remain in contention for a home playoff game with two regular-season home dates remaining, Friday night versus B.C. (6-10) and Nov. 6 versus Winnipeg (5-11).

Toronto would clinch first if it won its two games and Hamilton and Ottawa tied both contests. The Argos would clinch second if they finished tied with Ottawa but take third if they had the same record as the Ticats based on head-to-head meetings.

The fourth-place Montreal Alouettes (6-10) are also in playoff contention for the West Division crossover.

Securing a post-season berth was Ottawa’s pre-season goal, but general manager Marcel Desjardins said now having to settle for second or third would be disappointing.

“You’re never satisfied with where you’re at, you always want to try to be better,’ Desjardins said. “Am I surprised we’re still in a position to finish first? Maybe, a little bit but it’s not shocking by any stretch.”

A big reason for Ottawa’s improvement has been a potent offence. After struggling in 2014, the Redblacks are third in scoring this year (23.7 points per game), have scored 30 TDs in 51 red-zone chances and a CFL-best 18 rushing touchdowns.

This off-season, Ottawa hired former Toronto assistant Jason Maas as its offensive co-ordinator and added receivers Ernest Jackson, Chris Williams and Brad Sinopoli as well as offensive lineman SirVincent Rogers in free agency. But it’s quarterback Henry Burris who has made the unit go.

Burris, 40, has thrown for a CFL-best 5,148 yards with a 71.8 completion percentage and is a leading contender for the league’s outstanding player award.

“Henry is playing some of the best football he has ever played, which is incredible given his age,” said Sinopoli, the former Calgary Stampeder who won a Hec Crighton Trophy as the Ottawa Gee-Gees quarterback. “He’s the start of it all, really.”

Desjardins agrees.

“It’s a function of what we’re doing offensively, the system but also who’s distributing the ball and Henry has been outstanding,” Desjardins said. “It’s night and day versus last year relative to what our system was . . . but that’s all because of the ability of Jason Maas and Henry Burris to be on the same page and the offence in general being on the same page.”

Increased offensive production has really helped an Ottawa defence that spent too much time on the field in 2014. The unit leads the CFL in sacks (52), fewest rushing yards (67.2 per game) and is tied with Hamilton for most interceptions (24).

“Our defence amazes me every game,” Sinopoli said. “They give us a chance to get the ball back and have good drives and finish in the red zone.”

Desjardins said Campbell’s evolution has also contributed to Ottawa’s turnaround.

“He’s more comfortable in that role, he has a better grasp of the bigger picture,” Desjardins said. “All those little intricacies that aren’t necessarily obvious are things I feel he has gotten better at.”

Campbell, a career CFL assistant before joining the Redblacks, understood the 2014 season would have its challenges.

“I haven’t been around many losing teams so losing that often was difficult,” he said. “But at the same time I also had great hope for the future because we were building something.

“We had a core group of guys who were the right guys and we added some playmakers who could step up and make plays when needed. We’ve won close games this year, that’s the biggest difference. Good teams win close games and that’s what we’re trying to learn as a team, finding ways to win those tough games.”